Walk to explore geology and birds of Beadnell

The third of Northumbrian Earth's series of geowalks exploring the best locations within the Northumberland Coast AONB, is on Thursday, June 16 at 10am.

The walk will be led by local geologist Dr Ian Kille and will explore three aspects of the area.

First the walk will delve into the rich variety of the layered sedimentary rocks on the coast here and the whinstone dyke riven through them.

Secondly it will look at the way in which the landowners have historically exploited these rocks and the impact this has had on the village.

Finally, there will be a walk out across the beach to find the colonies of nesting terns out at Long Nanny.

Ian said: "This walk has become something of an annual tradition at this time of year when the terns are nesting.

"I am particularly fond of the little terns having made a set of ceramic decoys several years ago to help persuade these stubborn little creatures to nest in more sensible locations.

"I find this an entertaining way to explore the relationship between the way that modern sedimentary environments – beaches and rivers – can help us understand how ancient sedimentary rocks have formed.

"There also happen to be some fascinating rock sequences to explore here and the walk across the beach is just beautiful."

There will be further geowalks throughout the year.

To book a place visit https://www.northumbrianearth.co.uk/geo-walks or email Dr Ian Kille on [email protected]